Electrical conductor



March 31, 1942; B. K. FORD ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR Original Filed June 28, 1958 CONDUCTOR CORE OF INTERTWISTED COPPER STRANDS TEXT\LE KNITTED COVERING s in ii- TEXTILE KNlTTED COVERING //v v5 r0)? B. K. FORD area 1W A TTORNEY Patented Mar. 31, 1942 Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application June 28, 1938, Serial No.- 216,252. Divided and this application October 24, 1939, Serial No. 300,934

3 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical conductors, and more particularly to insulated electrical conductors.

This application is a division of my 'copending application Serial No. 216,252, filed June 28, 1938, which has matured to Patent No. 2,234,671, dated March 11, 1941.

In the art of manufacturing insulated electrical conductors copper is frequently employed for the conductor and rubber is frequently employed to form an insulating sheath therefor. It has been considered important, however, that suitable materials be disposed between the conductors of copper and an insulating sheath to serve as a barrier between them to maintain the conductor clean.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient and practical insulated conductor.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises an insulated core having a plurality of knitted coverings jointly serving as a barrier between the core and insulated sheath formed of plastic material.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed .description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates an insulated core em.

bodying the invention.

In the present embodiment of the invention a core fl'i is formed of a plurality of conductor strands such as copper, with the strands intertwlsted as illustrated in the drawing. A textile covering 53 is knitted on the core 41 and a textile covering 55 is knitted over the covering 63. It will be apparent, by viewing the drawing, that the courses in each covering extend longitudinal- I ly of the core, while the wales consisting of interconnected loops: of successive threads extend spirally about the core in different directions.

Upon the covering 64 a sheath of soft rubber is disposed. A sheath formed of rubber provides a very flexibleand weather-proof'insulator for the conductor core but it is important that the conductor be kept clean and free of deposits to condition any portion thereof for soldering. For this and'other reasons it is not considered advisable to place the rubber sheath directly upon the copper core. In order to provide a barrier for the rubber sheath which will not decrease the flexibility of the entire assembly but will add greatly to the tensile strength and life thereof 'the knitted coverings (i3 and 54 are formed between the core and the sheath in opposite directions relative to the general axis of the core. These knitted coverings serve not only as a position, for example, the direction to untwist the strand of the core, which direction would also tend to loosen the covering 64, the covering 53 would be tightened about the core to eliminate the possibility of the strands of the core from being loosened and coming in contact with a sheath 68. Furthermore, twisting of the assembly in the opposite direction would not only tighten the strands of the core but would tighten the covering 84, although such would tend to loosen the covering 83. It is, therefore, apparent that, by twisting the assembly in either direction in an attempt to loosen one of the coverings the other covering would be tightened about the core, preventing any of the strands from projecting therethrough.

The present embodiment of the invention is, therefore, an article of manufacture which consists specifically of a copper core formed, if desired, of a plurality of copper strands covered with a sheath formed of plastic material, preferably soit rubber, and having two or more knitted coverings between the core and the sheath serving as a barrier to prevent the rubber of the sheath contacting with the core during extrusion thereof or during service of the article.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is illustrative only and may be modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical conductor comprising an electrical conductor core, a plastic sheath disposed thereon, and knitted coverings with wale portions and course portions disposed one upon another on the core between the core and the sheath and serving as a barrier therebetween, the course portions of the coverings extending longitudinally of the core and the wale portions extending spirally about the core in opposite directions.

2. An electrical conductor comprising an electrical conductor core, a knitted covering disposed on' the core with Wales of the covering extending spirally about the core in one direction, a second knitted covering disposed on the first knitted covering with the wales of the first knitted. covering extending spirally about the core in a different direction, and a sheath of plastic material formed over the covered core and completely separated from the core by the coverings,

3. An electrical conductor comprising an elec-- trical conductor core, a knitted covering dzlsposefl on the core with wales of the covering; exten-fling: spirally about the core in one direction, e second.

knitted covering disposefl on the first knitted covering with the Wales of the first knitted covering extending spirally about the core in o. [tifferent direction, each covering being formed of interconnected loops to be closed over the core when the core is twisted to loosen the loops of the other covering, and a sheath of plastic material formed over the covered core and completely sop-- areted from the core by the coverings.

' H. FURD. 

